


my dandelion dear

by kabochamaxima



Series: My little beast, do tell me your story [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, De-Aged Neil Josten, Gen, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:34:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24401392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kabochamaxima/pseuds/kabochamaxima
Summary: “Andrew, I will turn into an orange. So this is goodbye.”OR: De-aged Neil shenanigans with each of the foxes
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: My little beast, do tell me your story [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762009
Comments: 10
Kudos: 113





	my dandelion dear

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, for those who read my previous preface, thank you. Secondly, I want to apologize for deleting it! I was editing it all throughout this time, but I realized that I was so hung up on plot and accuracy and “good” writing that I lost my purpose for creating this in the first place. 
> 
> I just wanted to have fun. With this in mind, I’m now freshened up and ready to go! That’s the beauty of the story of our foxes and fanfic writing, isn’t it? We are given second chances, a third fourth and fifth. Sometimes it’s scary to take those chances, but Neil really hit it home for me that my love has to be greater than my fear. 
> 
> Neil’s desperation to live, to play Exy and stay with the foxes, to give himself entirely to Andrew? Someone who has thought himself as nothing yet strives to give everything? Wow. Neil’s childhood is tainted with violence at its core, yet out of all the fictional characters I’ve met, I see Neil as the most intimate, the most tender and pure. I want to give him and the foxes healing. So for them, whose lives have been the most bizarre, I hope they can discover this in the mundane. 
> 
> Of course, there will be inaccuracies to timeline and characterization. I apologize, but this will be intentional. 
> 
> Title inspired by Dandelion (single ver.) by OOHYO (우효), which I encourage you to give a listen to while reading through this story. It's a very sweet song. 
> 
> I would love to chat about the foxes on twitter @__kintsukuroii
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

“Andrew?” Neil’s muffled little voice calls from the bedroom. He just woke up.

“I’m here,” Andrew calls back. 

He gives his hot chocolate one last stir in the pot and sets it aside to cool, replacing it with a pot of milk that he puts on low heat for Neil. 

Once that’s done he searches for food to make Neil’s breakfast with. They’re running low on groceries, and as Andrew rummages through their dorm kitchen he finds just enough bread and cheese to make a grilled sandwich, as well as an assortment of Kevin’s fruit in their fridge scattered about. 

Luckily, Neil doesn’t have much of an appetite in the early mornings, so Andrew collects them all and sets them inside a bowl to wash. 

He starts on prepping the grilled cheese and reviews their schedule for the day. 

Nicky and Neil will hit the supermarket later this afternoon while Andrew visits Bee, and when he returns they have practice. 

Renee and him switch off watching Neil during that time, and while Neil is usually more than happy to press his face against the plexiglass to watch their scrimmages (his excited breathing will fog up the glass, so he spends the majority of his time migrating along the court), Andrew more than ever despises the court walls that separate Neil from him and his protection. 

After practice they’ll head back to the dorms for dinner, and since it’ll be the weekend, if Neil’s not too tired maybe a movie night with the team. 

He pops the sandwich into the toaster oven and sets the timer. When he turns around for the fruits, a pair of familiar ocean eyes peer up at him. 

Neil blinks sleepily and gives a big yawn, stretching his arms up. When Andrew squats down to his eye level he flops down, wrapping warm hands gently around Andrew’s neck. 

Andrew lifts him up and rubs Neil’s back. Neil sighs softly, burying his head under Andrew’s chin and nuzzling repeatedly. 

“Andrew,” he repeats, clinging a little tighter. 

“I’m here,” Andrew chuckles. 

He doesn’t laugh very often, and when Neil hears it he squirms in Andrew’s hold to get a better look at his face. 

Whatever he sees ignites a wave of excitement in his eyes, and Andrew is sure that he’s drowning. 

He walks forward and places Neil on the counter, who swings his legs back and forth and watches quietly as Andrew washes the fruits and begins peeling. 

When the fruits are peeled he brings out the knife. It’s tedious to do so, but Andrew prefers to eat in bite sized pieces. Neil doesn’t mind either way, but his small mouth tends to slosh the juices everywhere. His fingers also get sticky, and he has a habit of wiping them off on his shirt. Andrew would much rather avoid a mess when he can. 

The kitchen fills with the dull sound of Andrew chopping. It’s early morning in Palmetto. Usually it’s already humid at this time. Summer in South Carolina has never been merciful, however today brings a rare refreshing air-crisp and welcoming, yet warm as the sun slowly fills their space. If the weather stays like this then maybe he should ask Dan or Matt to take Neil to the nearby park in the downtown soon. 

His cutting rate is slow today. He slices bananas, apples and strawberries. A pear, and even grapes Neil has a dangerous habit of chowing down his food and is prone to choking, and Andrew refuses to take any risks. Usually he’d go much faster, but that would mean more noise, and Andrew doesn’t want to wake Kevin and Nicky just yet. 

He likes to savor their alone time when he can. 

Neil can’t sit still for too long. By the time Andrew is halfway through the pile of fruits he starts to fidget, swinging his legs along the counter more aggressively. Andrew knows what he wants to say, but he’ll let Neil find the words at his own pace. 

It comes sooner than expected. Neil’s tiny fingers reach out and tug at Andrew’s sleeve. 

“I want to help.” 

Andrew is apprehensive to give Neil a blade for...multiple obvious reasons, so he hands Neil a bag of leftover tangerines. 

“Here. Peel this.” 

Neil grins happily with his chubby cheeks and sets to work. 

He peels dutifully, although clumsily. He stubbornly refuses Andrew’s help to prick each of the skins with his knife so he won’t have to, and gradually, the bowl fills up with tangerine slices. 

Andrew continues to cut the rest of the fruits into their fruit salad. He taste tests it here and there, which Neil interprets as Andrew being glutinous and accuses him as such. Andrew boops his nose with his cold finger in retaliation and Neil goes cross-eyed. 

Eventually, once the bowl is piled to the brim, Neil begins to line each of his tangerine slices along the edge of the counter towards Andrew in a neat row. Andrew’s done cutting, so he props himself on his elbow to watch Neil finish and bit by bit snacks on the slices.

Things escalate, and soon it becomes a sort of competition as to whether Andrew can eat faster than Neil can peel. Andrew prefers to take his time eating, but watching Neil scramble to restock the line, tongue jutted out in concentration in his hurry is nothing short of adorable. Adorable. Ha. Wait till Bee hears that. 

In the end Andrew’s stomach says enough and Neil takes the win. 

They leave their supply of tangerine on the counter as Kevin’s breakfast, and Andrew asks Neil to set the table while he brings their food. 

The toaster dings. Andrew slices the sandwich in half and splits it off, cheese steaming and stretchy. He places it on two plates and scoops some fruit in on the side. Neil returns to carry the plates with wobbly hands to the dining room and Andrew cuts off the stove, pouring Neil’s warm milk and his hot chocolate into cups. He adds a bit of sugar to Neil’s milk and stirs until it dissolves from the bottom. 

He carries the cups to the table, setting Neil’s away from his elbows as he bites into the grilled cheese. 

“Yummy?” Andrew asks. 

Neil chews and swallows before speaking. “Yup!” He takes another bite. 

Andrew’s not hungry so he pushes his plate towards Neil for second helpings and wipes crumbs off the corner of his lip. 

“Eat slowly. Slowly, Neil.” 

Nicky stumbles in right then, bleary eyed and sleep deprived. “What’d I miss?” 

“Nothing. You and Neil are going shopping for groceries later. I stuck the list on the fridge,” Andrew replies, sipping his hot chocolate. 

“Got it.” Nicky then notices their breakfast, and his eyes zone in on Neil’s grilled cheese. He walks over and kneels down, leaning in to take a bite of Neil’s sandwich.

“Can Nicky have some too?” he asks in his best cutesy voice, it cracks mid sentence though and Andrew is not amused. 

Before he can steal a bite Neil lifts his arm in a back handed smack. Nicky yelps and stumbles backwards, whining on the floor. Andrew huffs, rolling his eyes at his cousin’s dramatics. 

“You can have my half. Neil isn’t very hungry anyways.” As Andrew says this Neil leans down and drops the plate at his feet where Nicky lies. 

“You’re my dog today. I’ll name you Sir Hemmick,” Neil says. “I’ve made you grilled cheese.” 

Nicky side glances the plate. “Woof.” 

Neil leans down and pats his head. “That’s a good boy.” Cheeky brat. Andrew can’t say he isn’t proud. 

They finish eating in thirty minutes. Andrew makes sure Neil sips all his milk before sending him off with Nicky to wake up Kevin. In the meantime, he clears the table and washes the dishes. 

In a few minutes he hears a dull thud and an undignified yelp from Kevin. Nicky and Neil’s laughter rings clear as Kevin swings the bedroom door open. He glares first at the bright sunlight in the room, and then at Andrew. 

He points at him. “I hate you,” he greets. 

“Funny,” Andrew remarks, drying his hands off, “that ‘Day’ be your last name. You remain the furthest from any morning person I’ve ever known.” 

Kevin flips him off and heads for the fridge. Andrew swings the dish drying towel, whacking Kevin on his ass. 

“Try again, Queen. Nothing for you in there.” 

Kevin grimaces, rubbing at his arse, but scans around the kitchen until he spots the line of tangerines. 

Andrew expects him to throw a fit, yet when Kevin recognizes Neil’s handiwork his eyes go fond, and he’s quick to walk over and pop a slice into his mouth. 

Andrew can’t help but give pause to that. Neil brings out the rare in everyone, and it's endlessly amusing to watch these moments unfold in front of him. Especially if it’s Kevin, who has a permanent stick shoved every which way into his body. Andrew only swung earlier to remind him of it. 

Neil’s feet patter into the kitchen and Andrew holds in his comments, hanging the towel. He darts past Kevin to face Andrew, expression distraught. 

Andrew bends down to take Neil’s hands in his. Neil’s eyebrows furrow and his eyes are set to water. 

“Andrew, I will turn into an orange. So this is goodbye.” 

He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Neil so heartbroken. 

“What’s wrong?” he asks. 

Neil hiccups on a small sob and grips his hand tightly around Andrew’s thumb. 

“I ate an orange seed by accident. Nicky said I will turn into an orange.” 

First of all Neil ate a tangerine, not an orange. Secondly, they were seedless. Neil wraps himself around Andrew and squeezes tightly. 

The conclusion is obvious: Nicky is an outrageous liar and Andrew is going to kill him. 

“It’s okay,” he murmurs softly into Neil’s ear, returning the embrace just as tightly. 

He thinks it really will be.

**Author's Note:**

> JFC I have no idea why I'm posting this at midnight. Haha.. 
> 
> I’m sure some of you can relate to the seed incident. Very scary. This scene is inspired by a scene of the first chapter of a manga called T-sensei, which covers the wonderful moments of a preschool teacher and his experience with a group of lovely kids. Also if you search up ‘Return of Superman meme,’ you’ll find the inspo for the moment Neil slaps Nicky. Also a great show if you’ve yet to hear of it! 
> 
> Can you guess which fox Neil will spend time with in the next chapter?! *cough cough* Did I hear supermarket date with Nicky?! Mayybee so! 
> 
> Anyways. Thank you for reading. I WILL finish this fic, guaranteed, but I never know when I’ll have time to update so please bear with me! I have the main gist of it. 
> 
> To those who have read, gave kudos &/or comments, these fuel me SO well!! Stay safe. You are wonderful.


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